IF the past few weeks have shown us anything, it’s that we really are in uncharted waters.
After several days of low, and even no, COVID-19 cases and restrictions across Victoria starting to ease, it looked like the worst was behind us and we could start getting back to life as normal.
Fast forward to now, and it seems like our world has been turned upside-down again.
The Mildura electorate has avoided the stage 3 lockdowns that have been reintroduced in greater Melbourne and Mitchell Shire. But that certainly doesn’t mean we’re out of the woods.
Outbreaks have now appeared in NSW and there have been dozens of cases reported in regional Victoria, including one in the Swan Hill local government area.
It shows we cannot afford to be complacent, because we are fighting a battle against a silent and invisible enemy and it has shown just how effectively and quickly it can spread and get away from us.
While we have been spared another lockdown at this stage, our community has had to adjust to massive changes to our way of life.
Border closures in South Australia have been strengthened and this week we saw long delays and frustration as NSW stepped up its border control measures.
Now, more than ever, we have to stay Mallee tough.
All those traits that hold us together as a community – patience, resilience, strength and compassion – are more important than ever.
I have this week been urging the Victorian Government to change criteria for COVID-19 testing to allow anyone who has recently been to Melbourne, or had visitors from Melbourne, to get tested, regardless of symptoms.
Given there were a lot of visitors to our region during school holidays before the tight lockdown in Melbourne, and given many families from our electorate travelled to the city, the most effective way to ensure our safety would be to widen the testing criteria.
But until that happens, people should continue to take all the precautions necessary to try and minimise the potential spread of the virus by social distancing, regularly washing hands and maintaining personal hygiene like coughing into their elbow.
Anyone who has any symptoms, no matter how serious, should get tested.
It’s up to all of us to play our part.
Ali Cupper is the Member for Mildura
